I have a complicated set of values

Keep Calm and Get Excited

Looking at the country’s reaction to the accusations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, I’m reminded of a scene from one of America’s great cinematic classics: The Boondock Saints.

In the NSFW scene, Rocco bursts into the apartment, wildly and uncontrollably flailing around trying to escape danger but accomplishing nothing more than creating chaos. The MacManus brothers don’t seem to believe there is any danger. Daryl doesn’t even have his crossbow nearby. As the brothers tell Rocco to calm down, he turns and yells “you start getting excited!”

Neither have the correct response. Rocco (AKA Democrats) is correct that there is cause for concern, but he is so angry and scared that he can’t think straight to do anything about it. The MacManus brothers (AKA Republicans) believe there is nothing to worry about even though they had previously warned Rocco about the very danger that is now driving him insane.

Democrats need to calm down. There is precisely zero evidence of anything even hinting of treason from the Trump campaign, and throwing around such accusations is reckless at best.

Republicans need to get excited. Even if Trump Jr.’s latest version of events is true, at the very least he has admitted that senior members of the Trump campaign wanted to collude with an enemy of the United States for political gain. Legal or not, it’s unethical.

Democrats threatening impeachment every couple of days before an investigation into the latest scandal has even begun demonstrates they care less about an actual crime than getting rid of someone they don’t like. If Trump sneezed during an important speech, I would not be surprised to hear a Democrat fundraise off it and then call for impeachment. This constant overreaction makes it very difficult to take them seriously about serious issues.

Republicans, who spent the years before 2015 accurately warning about Russia and an American president who cared more about his ego and bashing the opposition than serving the people, now beclown themselves by uncritically defending a man far worse in both respects. For the last half century, Republicans have been the grownup party when it comes to national security – the ones willing to call the Soviet Union an evil empire and show toughness to those who would do us harm. Now they bury their heads in the sand or even outright defend enemies of the United States like Russia and Wikileaks.

Republicans, be the national security party again and recognize that a foreign power even attempting to interfere in our sacred elections is a threat. You don’t have to agree with Democrats about impeaching Trump to say Russia and Wikileaks are our enemies.

Democrats, I don’t even know what to say to you. Trump gives you so many real scandals, for the life of me I can’t figure out why you make up or exaggerate them. The opposition party is supposed to hold the government accountable, and you fail that mission when you violate our trust with wild and unfounded accusations.

There seems to be too few people willing to wait for an investigation before deciding guilt or innocence based on party ID. Our politics is broken, but I fear it will have to get worse before the fever breaks. As the president is fond of saying: Sad!